This invention relates to an elastically resilient fastening clip, in particular for the fastening of trained fruit trees, vines, or the like to horizontally extending training wires, which clip comprises a slit loop the slit of which is widenable outwardly for introduction of a sapling, a twig, a shoot, or the like part of the aforementioned plant and, after passing the plant part therethrough, closes again under the clamping effect of the loop of the fastening clip exercised at both sides of the slit; and which clip further comprises hook parts bent at angles away from the slit in the loop; and wherein, when the clip is fastened to the training wire, the reach or a contact zone of the loop opposite the slit is destined to lie essentially along one side of the training wire, and the slit and the adjacent hook part are destined to lie on the other side thereof, and, wherein a plant introduced into the loop is pressed resiliently against the training wire, while, at the same time, the clamping tension caused by the insertion of the plant part prevents a lateral displacement of the clip along the training wire.
The end portions of the loop, instead of crossing each other, are bent apart to provide the said slit in the loop and end in the aforesaid hook parts.
A fastening clip of this type is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,800,365 issued on Apr. 2, 1974.
However, a plant part to be fastened on a wire by means of this known fastening clip can only be easily inserted, when it is pressed through the slit of the known clip practically at a right angle relative to the loop plane.
This is satisfactory when saplings to be trained are fastened in accordance with an older method still practised especially in vineculture which requires that the tip of an individual sapling is bent downwardly over an upper training wire and fastened to a lower training wire running parallel with the upper wire. In this case, the free end of the sapling forms the required right angle with the loop plane for easy insertion in the known clip.
This is not the case when the free end of a sapling is fastened according to a newer method, without use of an upper wire directly to a training wire running approximately at the level of the upper end of the root stock of the plant and forms an acute angle, of a few to 30.degree. with the loop plane of the known clip and insertion is then difficult.
Moreover, when the training wire is not properly tensioned, the hooks on the legs of the known clip tend to unhook easily.